Surface current measurement network using cellular telephone telemetry

An array of five near-surface current measuring buoys has been designed and deployed in the Gulf of Mexico. Each buoy is networked with a central shore station via commercial cellular telephone service. Each buoy employs an electromagnetic water flow sensor (2 meter depth) and a vector-averaging data acquisition system to collect and record near-surface current data. Buffered data are automatically transferred to a shore station on a programmed schedule using the MNP Class 10 high performance data communications protocol. Under user control, the shore station can communicate with individual buoys to modify the data collection and reporting schedule as well as recover archived data. The low-cost, small-profile, solar-powered buoy is deemed "collision survivable" by the manufacturer. The buoy can be deployed from a surface vessel or helicopter.